the artist

I consider myself to be first and foremost a portrait painter, and my work ranges from the fanciful to the classically realistic. I trace my painting career back to a cartoon I created in 1986. The cartoon depicted a forehead, a caricature of my own face from the eyes up. From there I started painting "forehead portraits" that captured my subjects from the nose up. I have moved down the face over the years, but my focus on close-up portraiture remains. Whether I'm painting a fraction or an entire face, in a whimsical or realistic way, what remains consistent is my interest in creating a well-crafted, arresting image.

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In 1994, I studied with an inspirational rabbi in Israel; before long, I was painting fictitious portraits of orthodox rabbis, a stylistic breakthrough for me. The elongated, bearded visage of this rabbi conveyed so much history and so much wisdom. I felt I couldn't do him justice without giving him a mouth. In recent times, I've had a strong need for my peaceful rabbis to confront some serious issues and put their mouths to use by engaging in meaningful dialogue.

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Seeking ways to bring new life into my portraiture, I turned to still life. I began painting objects, crowns, books, musical instruments, and, most often, food on the heads of my subjects. These "hats" give my portraiture another dimension: sometimes surreal, sometimes humorous, and many times suggestive of a larger story line.

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I am a Washington DC native. I studied art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (while attending Emerson College). I have had one-man shows all over the world, in New York City; Washington, DC; Seattle; Provincetown, MA; Boston; Los Angeles; New Orleans; London; Berlin; Tel Aviv; and Prague.

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I have been living in Brooklyn, NY since 1999 and I have had a storefront/studio space ever since then. My storefront, on 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn is where I create and sell my work. My studio is open by appointment and by luck. Most evenings I am in my studio after 9pm and working very late into the night. I have had many gallery shows over the years but I've made my living in large part by selling my artwork directly to the public which continues to be a pleasure for me.

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BELOW:

My family in Cadaques, Spain in 2011 and my family in the Canary Islands, Spain in 2023